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Will shakeup in Browns' front office impact 'sin tax' in May?

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Joe Banner, left, is stepping down as CEO of the Browns, while Mike Lombardi is leaving as General Manager, the team announced this morning. Could the shakeup impact the 'sin tax' in May?
(Plain Dealer file)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The presence of the “sin tax” on the May ballot to pay for stadium improvements means that between now and then, there is an inextricable link between the travails of Cleveland’s professional sports teams and politics.

So, Northeast Ohio Media Group has been making calls this morning to Cuyahoga County and Cleveland city leaders to see if they think the Browns’ jettisoning of their front office this morning will impact the sin tax one way or the other.

County Councilman Pernel Jones, a Democrat who is among those on council leading the charge for the sin tax: “The best return on investment is a winning team, and creating a winning organization from the top down from the very top certainly contributes toward that. As a die hard fan, I think it’s a great move. But I don’t believe there will be fallout from the sin tax as a result of it. I don’t see it.”

Council President C. Ellen Connally, a Democrat, said the Browns aren't really on her radar screen. “But will say this: I think this city really wants a winning team, and a winning team would certainly go a long way toward helping the sin tax. But I don’t think that’s going to happen between now and May.”

Businessman Alan Glazen, who is organizing a social media campaign to defeat the sin tax, joked: “The sin tax being renewed a year early simply needs a poster with [Browns owner Jimmy] Haslem’s face on it for it to lose. So nobody cares about [former Browns General Manager Mike] Lombardi and [soon-to-be-former Browns CEO Joe] Banner to begin with.”

Nancy Lesic, a consultant who is working on the sin tax campaign, said in an email:

"Cleveland is a sports town and every move on and off the field is watched closely.

Players and personnel will come and go, the winds may change -- but this will always be a sports town.

Renewing the tax on alcohol & tobacco is about so much more than sports – it’s about keeping Cleveland competitive. We are fortunate to live in a major league city. For two cents a beer, we can ensure that our sports facilities are kept in major league condition, and that we can continue the momentum created by the partnership that has been working for 25 years.

We all look forward to Ray Farmer’s success. But the sports facilities aren’t about players or GMs, they are about the memories they create for us, our children and grandchildren. This renewal is about Cleveland’s future. We believe, after we present all of the facts that the public will agree with that."

We will update this story with additional reaction as it becomes available.

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